THREE children should not have been taken from a foster couple because they were members of political party UKIP, Education Secretary Michael Gove insisted yesterday.

Gove said the council snatch back was “indefensible”.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council sparked outrage when they removed the children because the couple’s political affiliation was seen as being at odds with the youngsters’ European backgrounds.

The right-wing party want a withdrawal from the European Union and immigration curbs.

By the Labour-run council’s own admission, the youngsters were happy and there was no question mark over the foster parents’ provision of care.

Gove, whose department are responsible for children’s services, said he would investigate the decision.

The minister, who was adopted, said: “The council have made the wrong decision in the wrong way for the wrong reasons.

“Their reasons for denying this family the chance to foster are indefensible.

“The ideology behind their decision is actively harmful to children. We should not allow considerations of ethnic or cultural background to prevent children being placed with loving and stable families.

“We need more parents to foster, and many more to adopt.

“Any council who decide that supporting a mainstream UK political party disbars an individual from looking after children in care is sending a dreadful signal that will only decrease the number of loving homes available to children in need.

“I will be investigating just how this decision came to be made and what steps we need to take to deal with this situation.”

There were reports that David Cameron retracted a statement he made during a radio interview in 2006, in which he described UKIP’s members as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists”.

But No10 later said there had been no retraction from Cameron and it was unclear whether he was standing by his remarks.

The children – a baby girl, a boy and an older girl – were removed by social workers after the council received an anonymous tip-off about the foster parents’ UKIP links.

Social workers said they were concerned about the children’s “cultural and ethnic needs”.

“Right-thinking people across the country will think there are thousands of children who need to be looked after, who need fostering, we shouldn’t have the situation where membership of a party like UKIP excludes you from doing that.

“We need loving homes for children across the country.

“That can come in different forms – it’s not about what political party you are a member of.”

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he was “very upset and very angry” about the decision and called for “heads to roll” at the council. He also accused the council of bigotry.

The council have announced an investigation into the decision.

Joyce Thacker, the council’s strategic director of children and young people’s services, had said the decision to remove the children was taken after consulting lawyers.

She said: “These children are from EU migrant backgrounds and UKIP has very clear statements on ending multiculturalism, not having that going forward, and I have to think about how sensitive I am being to those children.”

The unnamed couple are in their late 50s and have looked after a dozen kids in the past seven years.

The husband was a Royal Navy reservist for more than 30 years and works with disabled people, while his wife is a nursery nurse.